Bonded
by RaceGirl4148
Summary: A firefighterparamedic and a cop share an unfortunate bond and it brings them together.
1. Chapter 1

This is a story I started a while ago and just found lying around. It's similar to the shows, with my own added in here and there. Let me know what you think.

Authors Note: I don't own Third Watch or anything associated with it.

Chapter 1-An Introduction

December 11, 2001

Alex looked down at the calendar it front of her, December 11, exactly three months since the World Trade Center came crashing down. Exactly three months since she had seen her father. Exactly three months since her world had come crashing down. Her father was a fire captain and has been missing since the attacks. Everyday her hope that he was going to come back alive dwindled. She wore a necklace that had a pendent her father had given her when she passed the fire exam and since September 11 she has been wearing her father's 20-year ring from the squad.

To help keep her mind off her father, Alex offered to help Carlos and Ty move into their new apartment. She helped them finish loading the moving truck with things from Carlos' place and they headed to the new place. It only took them two hours to get everything out of the truck. All that was left was for Carlos and Ty arrange things they way they wanted them. Ty was hanging blinds on a window when Alex brought in a lamp.

"Where do you want this?" she asked when she entered.

"Just on that table over there," Ty answered pointing to a table along the wall.

On the table Alex noticed a picture.

"This you and your dad?" she asked.

"Yup," Ty answered.

"Little league?" Alex questioned since Ty was wearing a baseball glove in the picture.

"No, we were just playing in the park."

"How old were you when he….?" Alex stopped. Ty knew she was referring to his father being killed in the line of duty. His father was a police officer with the 55th precinct. He was also partnered with Sully. Ty's mom requested that her son be partnered with Sully when he began working at the 5-5.

"Six days after my 12th birthday." Ty answered Alex's question

"You remember that?"

"Some things you never forget, other details get foggy over time."

Just then Carlos walked in and was looking for some help moving his bed into his room. Alex offered to help him since Ty was still working on the blinds. Alex and Carlos finished moving the bed and Ty finished the blinds.

It was about 1:30pm, they all had to get ready for their shifts that started at three. Alex left and headed back to her place to get some things. Soon enough they were all at work, Carlos and Alex at the firehouse and Ty in the police station.

Carlos and Alex checked the bus**1** and restocked supplies that were low. They finished with the bus and headed back into the firehouse. They were sitting around the kitchen table talking to Kim and Doc. It seemed that recently all their shifts started off quietly. The four were talking about some recent news about the World Trade Center. They had found two more police officers the day before.

"Engine 57, Adam 5-5-3 and Boy 5-5-3**2** respond to the corner of 97th and 5th for an explosion in a diner. PD on scene," came the dispatchers voice over the radio.

Everyone in the house made their way to their respective apparatus. Alex and Carlos were the first ones out. Doc and Kim and the fire department followed them. They arrived on scene and began assessing the damage. The explosion had busted everything inside the diner. All the windows were busted out. There was debris everywhere. The fire department came in and put out the small fires that were burning in various places around the diner. Carlos found a waitress who had an arm injury. Something had cut her brachial artery and it was spurting blood. He put some dressings on her arm and brought her to the bus. Alex followed the firefighters into the kitchen area. They had found someone from the kitchen who was lying on the floor. He had a faint pulse so Alex got him on a board and they carried him out.

Other firefighters had been looking for the source of the explosion. They had monitors with them that recorded the amounts of various gases in the air. They had made their way down to the basement and the amounts of the gases skyrocketed. The explosion came from a natural gas line. The firefighters relayed the information to the lieutenant and he ordered everyone out of the building before it exploded again. As Alex came out she realized that she had lost her necklace with the pendent and ring on it. She turned around and headed back in, everyone outside was telling her not to go back in. She spotted the necklace underneath a stove. As she bent over to pick it up she noticed the arm of a little girl. The little girl was still alive, but her leg was pinned underneath something that had fallen. Alex radioed for help; reluctantly Doherty and Walsh came in with airbags to help get the girl out. They raised the piece of debris and pulled the girl out.

All the victims were transported to Angel of Mercy. Doc had surveyed all the civilian damage and there were no fatalities. Ty was walking back through the ER and overheard Doc talking about the lack of fatalities. He looked into an exam room he could see from where he was standing and saw Alex sitting on the gurney in there looking down at her father's ring. Ty walked over to the doorway and looked at her. He felt that he had to offer her some sort of support because he knew exactly what she was going through since he lost his father too

"Zero fatalities. That's pretty good," he said as he walked into the room.

Alex didn't answer him. She just kept looking at the ring. Unsure of what to say Ty just stood there.

"Do you miss him?" Alex finally asked.

"Who?" Ty questioned.

"Your dad. Do you miss him?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"All the time?"

"No, not all the time," he said as he walked over and sat next to her on the gurney.

"What you said before about details getting foggy, I don't want to forget."

"Well details do get foggy, but I never forget him. To this day if I am yelling at the Giants on television, listening to a Motown song on the radio or eating peanut butter with cheese crackers I remember him."

"That's my dad with apples," Alex responded with a half-hearted chuckle.

"Don't get me wrong, you could eat 100 apples and not think of him, but then you bite into that one and everything comes back."

Alex was quiet for a moment, "I used to be afraid of the dark, you know as a kid. My father would always tell me that 'any daughter of mine was too brave to be afraid of the dark.' I always thought that if I could at least act brave enough that would be good enough for him."

"Did it work?"

Alex looked over to the girl and then back to Ty, " it worked today."

Just then Sully knocked on the door and told Ty that they had a call. Ty stood up and told Alex that everything would be ok and headed out with Sully. The call was a simple domestic. The rest of their shift was pretty quiet. Ty kept thinking about Alex and her reaction to saving the little girl. The rest of the shift passed and Sully and Ty headed back into the station. Carlos had called Ty and told him that he would be working a double so he wouldn't be home. Ty got changed quietly and headed out of the locker room without saying much. He got back to his apartment and decided he would watch some television before hitting the sack. He heard a knock at the door.

"Hey," he said opening the door and seeing Alex on the other side.

"Hey," she replied coming into the apartment.

"Carlos isn't here, he's-" Ty began.

Alex cut him off, "I know, he's working a double."

Alex walked over to the couch and sat down. She put her hands on her knees and held her head. Ty walked over to her and sat down next to her.

"Everything ok?" he asked.

"Doc came down on me for getting that girl."

"Why?"

"Because I went against his and Lt. Johnson's orders. He told me that I couldn't be both a paramedic and firefighter at the same time."

"Alex, you did the right thing. You didn't know that you were going to find that girl. And you couldn't just leave her, that's inhumane."

"Just because I dropped a stupid necklace," she said taking the rings on the chain in her hand.

"That's not a stupid necklace Alex. That necklace is important to you. Why are you being so hard on yourself?"

"I just wanted to go get my necklace and because of that all hell is breaking loose."

"Alex, listen you did the right thing. Everything is fine."

"Doc's pissed at me."

"Don't worry about him right now, he'll get over it. I'm sure it was more the job talking than Doc. He seems to pretty understanding in a lot of situations."

Alex shifted herself on the couch and rested her head against Ty's shoulder. She didn't know why she did it, it just seemed right. Them being together just seemed right. Ty wasn't sure how to react when Alex leaned against him. He just put a reassuring hand on her back.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" Ty asked, unsure of what she meant.

"For listening to me. You didn't have to. I don't even know why I wound up here in the first place."

"I'm glad you came. I'm here to help you anytime you need it."

"Thanks."

They sat in silence for several minutes. Both lost in their own thoughts of the things that were transpiring between them. Alex was never one to open up to someone like she did to Ty so quickly. It was so easy to talk to him, it seemed right. She liked the idea of having someone to talk to and that would listen.

"Why don't you go take a shower and relax. I'll get you a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt to wear," Ty suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea."

Alex picked herself up off the couch, as did Ty. He showed her where the bathroom was and told her he would be right back with the clothes. Ty walked into his bedroom and opened his closet door. He just stood there for a minute thinking about Alex. He was beginning to develop some feelings for her. He wasn't sure what they meant. Maybe he just cared and was upset because she was upset. The feelings were confusing him.

Alex walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She undressed herself and stepped into the shower. She suddenly found herself sobbing unable to control herself. Everything in the passed three months was beginning to catch up to her. It felt so good to finally have someone to talk to about everything. Ty was very supportive. She felt comfortable around him. She didn't know why and she didn't care, all that mattered was that he was there.

"I'll put the clothes on the sink for you," Ty said as he opened the bathroom door. He was about to leave when he stopped. It sounded like Alex was crying.

"Alex? What's wrong?" he questioned.

She didn't say anything immediately. Ty didn't move. He hated seeing her upset. "Alex?" he questioned again.

Finally, she poked her head out from the shower curtain. She hesitated for a moment and then said, "everything."

Ty saw the hurt in her eyes. She was falling apart right in front of him. He was unsure of what to do. He began to walk closer to the shower. Suddenly, she grabbed his arm, pulled him into the shower with her and kissed him. The passion they both had built up inside them was released.

Ty pulled back slightly, but still holding Alex, "what was that for?"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," she said as she pulled out of Ty's embrace.

"It's ok Alex, are you ok?" Ty asked still standing in the shower.

"I don't know. Everything is going wrong right now. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I just want to help you. I need you to talk to me in order to do that."

"It's just….never mind."

"No not never mind Alex. Talk to me."

"It's just I've never had anyone like you in my life before."

"What do you mean?" Ty asked a bit confused.

"I've never had someone who cares; someone who is willing to listen and help me. It's all new to me."

"Is there something wrong with that? Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No not at all, it's just the opposite. I'm scared of how right it feels. I've never opened up to anyone so quickly."

"I don't want to force you, you can talk when you are ready."

"I'm sorry, I acted without thinking."

"Don't be sorry, I'm not." Alex was taken back by his comment and looked at Ty with a confused look.

"I don't know what has been happening the last couple days Alex, but I like it. I like spending time with you. I like helping you. I hate seeing you so upset and I want to do everything I can to make you happy again."

"I don't know what to say," Alex responded. Ty took her arm and pulled her into his arms. He placed his hands around her waist and kissed her. She broke the kiss and leaned her forehead against his.

"I'm sorry about your clothes."

"Don't worry, they will dry. I'll leave so you can go back to your shower," Ty said as he let go of Alex and began to step out of the shower. She grabbed his shirt.

"Please don't go. Can you just hold me?"

"If that's what you want."

"It is," Alex said as she began to pull Ty's soaked NYPD t-shirt over his head.

Ty just held Alex in the shower. They said nothing. No words were necessary. The comfort they found in each other was enough for the moment. When the water began losing its warmth they decided to step out. They both got dressed and went to sit on the couch. They talked for a little while then settled down and watched a movie on television. Both eventually falling asleep in each others arms.

Well? Good? Bad?


	2. Keeping It A Secret

A/N: I'm glad people seem to like the story. I know this chapter is short and I will do my best to get another one up soon. I'm re-reading it as I go along and making small changes. Thanks for the reviews they are always appreciated!

**Chapter 2-Keeping it a Secret**

December 27, 2001

For the passed two weeks Ty and Alex had been spending a lot of time together. Alex was over Ty's apartment almost every night after their shifts. Their relationship had progressed to a sexual one. They still spent time talking. Sometimes a call would rub Alex the wrong way and she would need to talk about something. Ty was there anytime she needed him to be. Alex didn't want anyone knowing about their relationship because of the circumstances and her own personal feelings. It's not that she didn't want to be with Ty, it was Carlos. Carlos was Ty's roommate and Alex's partner at work. She was nervous about what his reaction would be. She tried to be gone before Carlos got home from a double or woke up in the mornings.

"DAMN IT!" Carlos yelled as he ran into the birdcage again. His scream woke both Alex and Ty.

"It was just Carlos, he ran into the birdcage again," Ty explained.

"He's home? Why didn't you wake me?" Alex questioned nervously.

"It's alright, he'll be leaving soon."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's Monday, he's got class. I'm starting to remember his schedule."

Ty's statement put Alex at ease. She again buried her head into the pillow.

"So what would be the harm in him finding out about this anyway?" Ty questioned Alex about her reasons for not wanting anyone to know about the relationship.

"What?" Alex was a bit taken back by his question.

"Remind me why we have to have this big secret, I don't get it," Ty said rolling over on to his back.

"Because he's my partner and this is my private life," Alex explained resting her head on her hand.

"I wouldn't care if Sully knew."

"Did you tell him?"

"No, I'm just saying that I wouldn't care. What's the big deal?"

Alex leaned over Ty and kissed him. That sparked Ty's interest.

"What was that?" Ty asked, interested in more.

"Let it be for now, ok?"

"Well maybe my silence could be bought," Ty responded with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Carlos is home."

"So we'll have to be quiet."

"Can you?"

"Is that a challenge?"

Ty rolled over on top of Alex and kissed her. Luckily for them Carlos had left because they weren't real quiet. A morning of sex after a night of sex, what more could you want? After their morning go around they both fell asleep again.

The sun was coming in through the window as Alex woke up. She rolled over and looked out of it. It looked like such a nice day outside even though Alex knew the temperature wasn't going to break freezing. Alex looked over to Ty who was still sleeping. His peaceful look brought a smile to Alex's face. She leaned over and kissed his forehead, then his nose and finally his lips. Ty woke up with a moan. He liked waking up next to Alex.

"I gotta go. I have to do some things before the shift," Alex said as Ty rolled over.

"We could just call out today and spend the whole day here," Ty suggested pulling Alex down on top of him.

"As much as I like that idea, I can't. Neither can you."

"I know I had to try. I'll see you later."

Alex got dressed and gave Ty a kiss as she left. She hated leaving him, it was always the hardest part. Even though she knew she would probably see him at least once during their shift. She enjoyed that element of surprise. She never knew if he and Sully would show up on the same call.


End file.
